


A Brief Respite

by rufus



Series: Pleading His Belly 'verse [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, partial genderswap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-09
Updated: 2013-03-09
Packaged: 2017-12-04 17:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/713292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rufus/pseuds/rufus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Schemingreader's "Voyage to the Bunny Planet" <a href="http://schemingreader.livejournal.com/128804.html">Challenge. </a></p><p>Warnings: Blatant schmoop and references to female bodily business.</p>
    </blockquote>





	A Brief Respite

**Author's Note:**

> For Schemingreader's "Voyage to the Bunny Planet" [Challenge. ](http://schemingreader.livejournal.com/128804.html)
> 
> Warnings: Blatant schmoop and references to female bodily business.

"Yes, yes, that's it, you've got it now, Eileen," Molly said, her knitting needles clicking together as Remus closed the door to the back garden behind him. 

Eileen made a vaguely disapproving noise, followed by more clicking, and Remus smiled to himself. He was not about to ask Molly what had ever possessed her to teach Eileen how to knit; he was just relieved to have them out of the house for a little while. After two solid weeks of being cooped up because of the rain, the sun had finally come out, and the grandmothers had stopped glaring at each other long enough to agree that Athena _might_ enjoy a bit of fresh air.

Her father, on the other hand, had not yet surfaced, even though Remus had walked by the stairs twice with the pan full of freshly cooked bacon. _Between the new teeth and the colic we did have a rough night,_ Remus thought, and snagged a packet of biscuits and two fresh cups of tea before making his way up the stairs.

He found Severus curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed, covered only by a thin blanket. At first Remus thought he was asleep; his eyes were closed, and he still wearing his nightshirt. _I'll check back after I do the washing up,_ Remus decided, and set the packet of biscuits and the tea on the nightstand. 

He put a warming charm on the tea, then reached out to tug the blanket further up Severus' body, and was surprised when Severus flinched away from his hand. _You **are** awake._

"All right, Severus?" he asked. When there was no reply, he put one knee on the bed and leaned forward, and that was when he caught the bright, sweet, coppery scent of blood. 

Remus froze, caught between alarm and interest, and Severus groaned quietly. Remus exhaled _(still alive!)_ and edged closer.

"Severus? What's happened? Where does it hurt? Should I call –" he began, his hand hovering over one bony shoulder.

"Amycus Carrow happened, damn him to all nine hells," Severus muttered, and opened his eyes to give Remus a baleful look. "It hurts everywhere. If you call Poppy and I am forced to listen to more lectures about my infernal parts I will tie your bollocks in a _knot._ "

Remus blinked at him, nodded, and patted his shoulder gently. Severus groaned again, and coughed into his pillow.

"And what have you done with my daughter?" Severus growled, and shifted around under the blanket until he was facing Remus. He looked tired, and pain made the lines in his face much deeper than they normally were. Remus decided that discussing the sharp note from St. Mungo's that had arrived in the morning's mail and Eileen's announcement that Tobias needed to stretch his legs could wait for another time.

"I've chucked her out of the house along with Molly and your mum," Remus said, and crouched down next to the bed. "Told her she's to stay in the back garden and not to talk to any strange gnomes. Also, Molly seems to be determined to teach your mother how to knit."

"Merlin have mercy," Severus muttered, and Remus heard faint clinking noises that suggested a pain-killing potion had been summoned to the bed. 

"I could always invite my mum around as well, she's excellent when you need somebody distracted," Remus said, absently, and tapped his wand against the bedframe, revealing a drawer with a plain brass kob. "Though she'd probably want to bring all of her budgies. And possibly Mr. Porter."

"Mister Porter?" Severus repeated, warily, as Remus tugged the drawer open, and surveyed the contents. Several pairs of button eyes looked back at him, impassive as ever. He scrabbled around a bit until he found the one that he wanted, buried under several other smaller bodies.

"Her hermit crab," Remus murmured, and unscrewed the toy's head in two quick movements. "He used to have a friend called Miss Cole but the hussy ran off with Captain Aloysius and his First Mate Ethelred." 

He pointed the tip of his wand into the hollow cavity at its center and murmured _aguamenti_ under his breath, followed by a heating charm. When it was full he screwed the head back on and smelled it. _Liniment, mostly,_ he thought, _minty, and not too bad._ He wriggled far enough onto the bed to stuff the toy between Severus' knees and his chest, and then moved back to fish out two more.

"And who the devil were _they_ , when they were at home?" Severus asked, as Remus sniffed his new acquisitions. _Mmmm, cloves._ "And why is there a drawer full of stuffed rabbits under our bed?"

"Captain Aloysius was a parrot, and First Mate Ethelred was the one-eyed tom over the way, " Remus said, and set the rabbits in his hand on the bed. "They had _very_ grand adventures. In fact they fell off the end of the earth no less than three times."

Severus made a noise that suggested he was being _very patient._ Remus ignored him in favor of tapping the toys with his wand. When they were warm to the touch, he stuffed them down on top of the first one, against Severus' belly. Severus caught his hand as he pulled it back, and gave him a searching look. Remus smiled him pleasantly, tugged his hand loose, and went back to the drawer.

"These were my excuse, in a way," Remus said, a bit later, after setting the last rabbit (scarlet plush, with a knitted gold waistcoat) against Severus' lower back. "When I had to transform, at school, that first year, I told the others I had to home and see my mum, and take care of the rabbits, because she was ill."

"I see," Severus murmured, and stroked the rabbit (plain velveteen) nearest his left shoulder. "The charmwork on these is excellent." 

"That's mostly my father's work," Remus said, and tugged three biscuits out of the package and handed two of them to Severus. "I just refresh them every couple of years. I have copies of the spells downstairs, though, if you'd like to see them."

"Perhaps later," Severus said, his lips curving up in a faint smile. "Now, how is that Captain . . . Aloysius, was it? . . . made it back from the ends of the earth?"

"Why, Captain Hildegard was there with a rope to pull him up," Remus said, and settled back against the headboard. "She was a giant owl, you see, and very resourceful. She had to be, because she served a very beautiful Princess who was often troubled by enormous flobberworms."

"Terrible things, flobberworms," Severus said, and wriggled around until his head was on Remus' thigh. "However did she sort them out?"

"Oh well, she tried all sorts of tricks," Remus said. Severus sighed softly and closed his eyes, and Remus told stories and petted Severus' hair until they both fell asleep.


End file.
